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Education
ChapterTitle
StreetSmarts SM

Navigating customer confusion

plus a farewell

By Nick Cucci is worried about an element of a product, help them
Fluid Pay LLC navigate these concerns. Instead of only listening to
the customer complain that a product is too compli-
cated, ask them to further explain their needs.
[Editor's Note: With this article, we bid farewell to Nick Cucci as Streets
SmartsSM author, but he will remain our true partner in advocating for • Customers that feel heard are often more open to
best practices and ethical relationships within the payments industry. working with you—even if they aren’t yet sure about
For the past year, Nick has displayed not only mastery of his subject your offerings. Dig deep. Get to the root cause. Make
matter but also a genuine interest in all who cross his path in our ever a clear list of their concerns so you can address each
changing industry. We can't wait to see his next step in leadership. And issue individually.
beginning April 8, 2024, Allen Kopelman will author this column. We'll • Identify the source of concerns: Sometimes the big-
tell you more about Allen, an industry powerhouse, in April.] gest problem with a customer’s concern is the source
he goal of every salesperson is to make sales, of their information—not the concern itself. Bad re-
but some sales are easier to make than others. views from other customers or digital influencers can
When offering something simple, like a pen, negatively alter a customer’s perception of a product
T you can focus entirely on quality and presenta- or service.
tion, but selling more complicated products takes more Marketers understand that negative reviews are of-
effort. Part of that involves getting potential customers ten part of competitors' strategies, but the average
comfortable with your product's level of complexity. customer doesn’t know or expect that. Talk about the
Handling the too-complicated objection source of customers' concerns and address third-par-
ty issues when applicable.
As we solve new problems with new technology, today’s • Offer high-quality resources: The best way to help
products and services look a lot different than those of the customers accept complex systems and services is to
past. But their complexity means they have more to offer. give them the tools they need to navigate them. A tru-
Some customers will worry if a product or service seems ly useful guide, a series of instructional videos and
too complicated, which can lead to lost sales, but a good even third-party tools can all be used to help increase
salesperson can avoid this. a customer's comfort level. With the right resources,
users won’t feel overwhelmed—they'll feel empow-
As a sales rep, you must demonstrate your products' ease ered.
of use and value, and convince prospects that the value
they gain is worth what you say it is. Following these sim- • Demonstrate ways to simplify the process: Although
ple steps can help you turn hesitant customers into repeat a full-featured product or service might be fairly com-
customers for years to come. plex, that doesn’t mean it has to be. Well-made prod-
ucts and services often grow with the user, offering
• Listen to their concerns: The most important step different levels for different needs. If your product
any salesperson can take when dealing with sales ob- can adapt to different experience levels, share that
jections is to listen to customers' concerns. If someone with your customers. They'll likely be relieved.

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